Nationals senator John Williams wants mobility scooters limited to top speed of 6kph
(earlier edition of the news quoted him as saying scooters went as fast as 35kph, this has now been redacted by the ABC. Where's senator Hanson when you need her? )ABC News wrote: he said his wife's injuries were serious and she had undergone surgery for a total hip replacement.
"[She] took literally one step out of the office and the gopher hit her," Senator Williams told ABC radio after the accident.
"One of the staff looked out and all she saw was Nancy literally airborne and she landed on her left hip and just smashed her left hip to pieces.
"What if she had landed on her head? I could be preparing for a funeral."
Unlike bicycle retailers, the mobility scooter retailers were quick to riposte
Senator's claims of speeding mobility scooters are 'rubbish', retailer says
ABC News wrote: But Peter Fraser from retailer Scooters Australia said the senator's claims about high speed scooting were inaccurate.
"It's complete rubbish," Mr Fraser said.
"He's completely out of his depth."
Mr Fraser said all states in Australia had mandated top speeds of 10 kilometres per hour and imported scooters had to meet that standard already.
He said mobility scooter speed limit regulations in Australia were tougher than those that apply in the United States and parts of Europe.
"Just because Senator William's wife was injured in a mobility scooter accident is no reason to change the law to suit one politician," Mr Fraser said.
"Where will that lead us?
"In 2011 more people were killed falling off chairs in NSW than were killed in mobility scooter accidents. Does that mean we should ban all chairs?"